BJP kicks off UP poll campaign, Amit Shah targets Samajwadi Party

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today kicked off its poll campaign in Uttar Pradesh and party president Amit Shah took a dig at infighting in the Mulayam Singh Yadav family and targeted ruling Samajwadi Party as well as BSP, saying neither party is bothered about development of the state.

Addressing 'Parivartan rally' (rally for change) in western UP, he said the state has lagged behind in development because of SP and BSP rule and that only a BJP government with full majority can bring it back on track.

"While on one hand, it is the nephew (Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav) who is abusing the uncle (SP state unit president Shivpal Yadav), on the other Behenji (BSP supremo Mayawati) is abusing both of them...No one is concerned about the development of the state," Shah said.

"The state has lagged behind a lot...SP and BSP cannot improve the situation here and it will be only the BJP government with full majority which can bring the state back on tracks," he said.

Attacking 'goonda' elements in the ruling SP, he alleged that the party is mired in illegal mining among other ills like corruption.

Shah said while Akhilesh wants to project himself as 'vikas purush' (development man), people like mafia don Mukhtar Ansari are in his party despite the Chief Minister claiming they would not be allowed in.

"The entire SP is filled with such people," he added.

Targeting Mayawati, the BJP chief said, "behanji says she will improve the situation but she has Naseemuddin Siddiqui".

He contended that, "it is between devil and deep sea for the people of the state in the context of these two parties."

Shah also took veiled dig at Samajwadi Party's efforts to form a 'mahagathbandhan' ahead of the upcoming Assembly polls by hosting senior leaders of the erstwhile Janata Parivar in the state capital today, saying "they are happy shaking hands with each other..but what would happen by your shaking hands? In a democracy, government is formed only when the people shake hands with you".

Attacking Mayawati, he said though she claims to make the state "goonda free" (criminal free), she needs to recall the number of scams which took place during her previous government."

Citing the different scams worth thousands of crores, Shah alleged that all the funds meant for development were used in setting up memorials and statues. "If she returns to power, she will set up 200 to 300 more of her statues instead of doing any good for the state," he said.